Review: Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. Vol. 2- Secrets of the Dead
Quick Summary
Pros: Frankenstein’s personal story is more interesting than before. The volume’s blend of horror and action makes for a fun reading experience.
Cons: The pacing is still odd in some places. The conclusion of the Rotworld event is left completely unexplained and robs Frankenstein of interesting character development.
Overall: This volume is another unique mix of action and horror, with storytelling that ranges in quality. The highlight here is the focus on Frankenstein as a character, since fans have a chance to really learn about who he is and where he came from. However, the low point comes from a few mishandled stories that take away from the reading experience. Readers who enjoyed the previous volume will likely enjoy this one as well.
Story
In some ways, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. Vol. 2: Secrets of the Dead is better than its predecessor. It features a renewed focus on Frankenstein as a character and also spends more time telling stories that develop into larger narratives. However, the flaws here are more significant than they were in the previous volume. This can be seen in a disappointing continuation of a previously introduced cliffhanger and a mishandling of the Rotworld event’s conclusion. This is a volume with higher highs and lower lows, most of which even out to a quality level that feels average overall.
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Many of the positives in Secrets of the Dead come from the focus on Frankenstein’s character development. In this volume, readers get a chance to see Frankenstein as more than an unstoppable monster. Instead, his upsetting past and internal conflict paint him as a tragic hero. His adventures here, especially those involving his creator, further develop this narrative and add additional interest to an already interesting concept.
Other positives are found in the volume’s adherence to its unique combination of horror and action. The stories presented here all fall on the weirder side of mainstream comics, yet are packed with more traditional levels of action. Plus, these stories often develop into larger narratives, a step up from the fast pace and unconnected nature of the previous collection (Review).
However, there are still a few places where Secrets of the Dead is plagued by rapid pacing. For example, the volume’s opening story continued a tantalizing cliffhanger that involved deeply personal issues for both Frankenstein and his bride. However, this cliffhanger is fully explained and dealt with over the course of a couple pages. Moments like this fail to develop necessary emotional connections and damage character development.
The volume also suffers in dealing with the fallout from the Rotworld event. Frankenstein makes great strides during his time fighting against the forces of the Rot; however all of this is undone as soon as the event concludes. Not only is it undone, it is never actually explained how much was undone or how it happened. Some of these answers can be found in other comics, but none of this will make sense to readers who are only reading this volume.
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Art
The artwork in Secrets of the Dead is more satisfying than it was in the previous volume. Alberto Ponticelli’s work here continues to look nice structurally and does well in telling the story. It also wonderfully matches the volume’s horror roots, as S.H.A.D.E.’s bizarre activities and the horrifying events of Rotworld look more terrifying than ever before. There are still a few places where characters look a bit distorted, but these moments happen less frequently than they did previously. Overall, this isn’t the best looking book out there, but it does provide a satisfactory complement to the volume’s story.
Continuity
Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. Vol. 2: Secrets of the Dead continues the story from Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. Vol. 1: War of the Monsters (Review).
The Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. series ends with this volume.
This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:
- The beginning of this volume has Frankenstein deal with the aftermath of events detailed in Animal Man Vol. 1: The Hunt (Review).
- This collection contains a large crossover with the Rotworld event. The full story can be found in either Swamp Thing Vol. 3: Rotworld- The Green Kingdom (Review) or Animal Man Vol. 3: Rotworld- The Red Kingdom (Review).